Winter can be one of the best times of the year—if you know the right way to celebrate the holidays. Sometimes college students just want to go back to their youth and play in the snow to forget all of our responsibilities, at least temporarily. If you’re lost for any ideas, here are a few of my favorite Christmas winter activities.

• Go sledding with all of your friends.
  • Bring up some of your old sleds from home that you used when you were a kid or go buy some cheap ones to conquer the biggest hill you can find.
• Decorate your apartment or dorm full of holiday cheer.
  • Put on your PJs, turn up the Christmas music, and make a big pot of hot chocolate. Nothing else will put you in the Christmas spirit.
• Ice skating
  • No ice or snow? No worries! Trade in your ice skates for roller blades and skate all across campus for an alternative warm winter activity!
• Secret Santa
  • Gather your friend group and draw names! Creating or buying a small gift is only half the fun—the anticipation of who got who is the other half!
• Ugly Christmas sweater party
  • With the stress of the end of the semester and finals, what’s a better way to unwind and get in the holiday spirit than dressing in the ugliest Christmas sweater you can find.
• Movie marathon
  • Sometimes the cold can be too cold to bear, so stay in snuggled in a burrito of blankets watching your favorite winter classics.
• Christmas karaoke
  • Sing your favorite holiday tunes by yourself or make it a duet with your best friend. Break out Bing Crosby or even the infamous Mariah Carey "All I Want For Christmas Is You."
• Cookie making and decorating
  • Create delicious Christmas favorites with your family or friends. Find new recipes or use old family secret recipes. Share them with your neighbors to help spread holiday cheer.
• Gag white elephant
  • Nothing beats a funny Christmas gift exchange. Gather a big group of friends and see who picks what gag gift. Not only is this a fun time to spend with your friends, it’s also a time to see who brought the silliest present.
• Christmas lights
  • Jump in a car with your family and friends, put on some Christmas tunes, and drive around different neighborhoods or downtown to look at all of the different Christmas lights displays!
• Snowball fight
  • Although no one has the whole snowball throwing domination thing down quiet like Buddy the Elf, snowball fights are one of the greatest winter traditions. Take a study break and go outside with your roommates and battle until someone declares defeat.

Holiday spirit and activities are something that should be celebrated all throughout the month of December leading up to Christmas. Amid a crazy, stressful busy schedule, it’s important that college students find time to enjoy some of their favorite winter pastimes. Celebrate the happiest time of the year with the people you love, all while having a laugh, and trying new things can lead to building memories that will last a lifetime.